The prospect of a possible defeat at the hands of Miguel Cotto, low pay-per-view (PPV) and ticket turnout and fear of being locked up in jail soon after the fight may be too much for Floyd Mayweather to take as he collides with the "unbeaten" Puerto Rican boxing star Saturday night.
Mayweather admitted on HBO "Face Off with Max Kellerman" (h/t Yahoo! Sports) that Cotto is a tough opponent, saying he considered the Puerto Rican as undefeated in his own boxing career.
"We choose Miguel Cotto because he's solid," Mayweather told Kellerman. "We want tough competition; he's one of the best fighters out there. I look at Miguel Cotto as an undefeated fighter because he faced Pacquiao, but Pacquiao caught him at a catch weight. He wasn't the best Miguel Cotto. He was drained. He wasn't hydrated. Antonio Margarito was a guy who was cheating. I want him to be comfortable and feel good when we meet and go into this battle."
Mayweather, who usually puts down and throws insulting words at his past opponents before the fight, has surprised his avid fans with the way he projects Cotto as tough competition. Fans are saying it works psychologically in Cotto's favor.
When asked how he plans to defeat Mayweather, Cotto said he will be the first fighter to win over the unbeaten champion.
"We going to figure it out in training camp," Cotto answered, when asked about how he plans to defeat Mayweather. "I guarantee it; I'm going to be the first one."
Low PPV turnout is possible. A report of a 20 percent discount on unsold tickets has come as a surprise to some observers who know Mayweather as an expert in promoting his fights because of his inherent marketing prowess. But selling the remaining tickets at a discount would indicate poor ticket sales for the May 5 fight.
Barely a week before the highly promoted fight, Mayweather has been preoccupied with promoting the bout and taking the cudgels for Cotto as he gave responses to media—at times praising Cotto for his "unbeaten record" and projecting him as a tough opponent.
Mayweather's training and conditioning, it seems, have been relegated to the back burner to keep himself available to media in an effort to gain more publicity for the fight.
In the last media day at his Las Vegas gym, Mayweather was seen as more of an entertainer than a boxer as he entertained thousands of people who trooped to the gym to see him in a workout. He was joined by Shantel Jackson and long-time friend 50 Cent.
Meanwhile, Cotto remains focused—certainly not distracted in his training camp while Mayweather takes on the dual role as fighter and promoter to make sure the bout sells.
Plus, the prospect of a 90-day jail term for the unbeaten WBC Welterweight Champion could likewise be taking its toll on his upcoming fight. Although he has said a jail term would keep him a "mentally" stronger person, not many can deny the fact that staying in jail could be a traumatic experience for one who believes he was a victim of injustice. Mayweather has denied the charges that led to his jail sentence, but took a plea deal on felony charges for convenience.
No comments:
Post a Comment